Plate-guard for secondary batteries.



J. 0. LUTHY.

PLATE GUARD FOR SECONDARY BATTERIES.

Arl ucmou FILED APR. 16. 1917.

1 3. Patented Nov. 20, 1917.

JOSEPH '0. Lurnv, or s ananteater mars.

riders-sneer roe. SEGQNDLQRY assist memes.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, Josnrn O. 'LU'rH'Y, a citizen of the Republic.Switzerland, residing at San Antonio,-county of Bexar, and

State ofjil exas, have invented I-certain new and useful ImprovementsinPlate-Guards for Secondary Batteries; and I do hereby envelops forsecondary battery plates, and

' sections united along their meeting edges by a suitable bindingmedium, the parts being declare thefollowing to bee full, clear, andvexact description of the invention, such as Wlll enable others skilledin the art to'which itappertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to guard sheaths or has for'its object to providea light,strong and relatively cheap frame of acidproof material,preferably formed of two homologous so arranged and disposed as. tocoverand protect the exposed metal edges of the battery plates, andteadmit of separator sections of porous or pervious material beingappliedand rem ved by way of the bottom part of the framl, held iiiproper covering juxtapositio toboth faces ofthe battery late, so thatthe'plate is supported and rigidly held against vibration, buckling andother internal and external forces, and the separators are maintained inproper relation to prevent short circuiting of adjacent plates,disintegration of the filling material, breaking of the separators or ofthe jars or containers, and at the same time, providing for freevertical and transverse circulation of the electrolyte, with respect tothe plate. Theparticular construction and arrangement of the frame andthe separators associated therewith, are such as to 'preventdisintegration of the metallic frame of the plate grid, due to localaction, to admit of thinner plates and thinner eparators being used and,at the same time, to minimize the danger of breaking the jars orcontainers, due to movement of the plates, and to practically eliminatethe effect of self-discharge and the so-called growing. of the negativebattery plates.

The invention is illustrated "in the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 is a perspective view of the bat-1 tery plate havin theimproved sheath or envelop applied t ereto;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of one of the two homologous sections iwhich goto make up the frame; and

, Specification Letters Edwin's; Application filed Avril 16,1917. 'Srialleases,

reteste timer). tear,

plate and? separators] re- Referring to the drawings, indicates thepositive plate of a secondary battery,

whichmay be of any approved. or desired form and which, as illustrated,s similar to that shown 'in a companion application, {died of even date'hQI'QWlllll, S8I'l3.l-; NO 16%,399, which application relates toanother specific form and mode of applicationofthe generic invention. I

According tothe present inventiomg-the sheath or envelop comprisesa,-strong,'-rigid open framework of-i'acid-proof ;;material, preferablycelluloid, formed. of twohomologous sections, adapted to surround the?plate X and to support separators of porous. or

pervious slabs of woodor'the like, 1n proper covering relation to thefaces of the plate,

the two sections ofthe aframe be'ing united at their meeting edges, ;which preferably-lie in the -median longitudinal .plane of the I plate.Each of the frame sectionsis :prefer ably formed as an integral unit ofmolded celluloid.

Each of the frame sections comprises face flanges 1, 2, 3- and 4disposed in quadrilateral relation with flange 5, formed of relativelythin celluloid and defining panel-like openings. The end members of eachsection consist of L-shaped elements formed by a flange 7 and areinforcing and spacing element 6, the element- 6 constituting a.rectangular corner post which projects inwardly of the frame sectiontransversely of the side flanges and the end flange. A'crossthe bottomof the frame.

section is an L-shaped member comprising a bottom horizontal flange 8and a vertical flange 9, connected to the end flanges 7 and thelongitudinal faces of the corner members 6, respectively. Theintermediate, flange 5 is provided with a strengthening rib 19 whichextends vertically of the frame section from bottom to top, and to thelower end of which, the vertical flange 9 of the bottom L member issecured.

It will be particularly noted-that the construction and arrangement ofthe bottom L member and the bottom face flangeiQ leaves two unobstructedopenings 11, 11 through an intermediate cross the bottom of the framesection, through.

which separator slabs 13, preferably formed of wood orlike perviousmaterial and having channels or corrugationson their inner faces, may beinserted and removed, the said separator slabs, when inserted toproper'position, overlying the adjacent faces of the battery plate, asclearly illustrated in Fig. 1.

In applying the sheath or envelop to a battery plate two of the framesections, such as illustrated in Fig. 2, are applied to opposite facesof theplate, so that the metallic edges of the latter .are substantiallyenveloped and inclosed by the channel-like recesses formed by theelements 6 and 7 atthe respectiveiends of the plate sections and by theflanges 8 and 9 forming the bottoms of the frame sections. The meetingedges of the "frame sections are then rigidly secured together, ashereinbefore indicated, so that the battery plate is completelysurrounded and inclosed by the skeleteti. frame, and the metallicportions of the plate about its edges are protected against access ofthe electrolyte by theengaging and en-* joined at their meeting edges,each section veloping' portions of the. frame sections. The separatorslabs 13 are then slid into position through the bottom openings 11 andthe plate is ready to be assembled with the other cooperating platesconstituting the completebattery or cell. The bottom openings 11 in theframe not only permit the ready insertion and removal ofthe separatorslabs, but also allow a free vertical circulation of the electrolytealong the faces-of the battery plate, which is found to be absolutelynecessary to the efficient operation of thecells, of which the plateconstitutes a component part.

joined at their meeting edges, each section including L-shaped end andbottom members embracing the corresponding edges of the plate, andmarglnal top, bottom and side flanges, the bottom flange being spacedfrom v the vertical element of the L-shaped bottom member toafford-space for the insertion and removal of the-slabs aforesaid andfree circulation of the electrolyte.

' 2. A. sheath or envelop for secondary battery plates comprising arigid frame of acid-proof material, and slabs of porous material held insaid frame in covering juxtaposition to the faces of the plate; saidframe being formed of two homologous sections including l.-shap'ed endand bottom members embracing the corresponding edges of the plate,marginal top, bottom and side flanges, and a vertical intermediatestrength ening rib having lateral flanges, the bottom flange beingspaced from the vertical element of the L-shaped bottom member to affordspace for the insertion and removal of the slabsaforesaid and freecirculation of the electrolyte.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

aosnrjn o. LUTHY.

